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“Damn.” McKinnon cursed when he saw the cut on his hand, thanks to the barbwire fence he was trying to repair on a section of his property. He should have been concentrating on what he was doing instead of fantasizing about Casey.
Luckily for him the cut wasn’t deep, which meant it shouldn’t require stitches. But it would require him putting something on it. He had taken off his gloves to get a better grip on the pliers when the thing had slipped.
“You okay, McKinnon?”
He glanced over at Norris. “I got a cut from this barbwire and need to go up to the house to put something on it. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Norris looked at the cut, saw the amount of blood and lifted his brow in concern. “Maybe you need me to take you into town so Dr. Mason can take a look at it.”
“No, I’m up on my tetanus shots and it doesn’t need stitches. I’ll be fine.”
“You sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“Okay. I don’t want Morning Star and the Judge to have my ass if something happens to you. Why don’t you stay at the house and let me and the boys finish things up here.”
McKinnon lifted his brow, wondering if Norris was about to accuse him of being more of a hindrance than a help again. He would be the first to admit that his mind hadn’t been focused lately for thinking about Casey but still… “And you sure you and the guys will have the fence repaired by morning?”
Norris chuckled. “Look McKinnon, I was repairing barbwire fences before the day you were born.” And for good measure the older man then added, “And I’m yet to get a cut on any of my fingers. Now go.”
“All right, I’m going,” McKinnon said, moving toward Thunder.
“I don’t know where your mind has been lately, but it’s been wandering quite a bit,” he heard Norris say, but refused to acknowledge the man’s comment by turning around.
A half hour after cleaning his wound, applying antiseptic and putting on a bandage, McKinnon walked out of the bathroom, glad Henrietta had gone into town to do her weekly grocery shopping. If she’d seen the cut on his hand, no matter how minor the injury, she would have harassed him until he went into town for Doc Mason to stitch him up.
He turned when he heard a knock at the door. Remembering that Henrietta wasn’t in, he moved through the living room to open it. Immediately his breath caught at the same time his pulse escalated and he felt a tightness in his jeans. Casey was standing there and the sight of her, the scent of her, suddenly made his skin feel overheated.
He cleared his throat, forced the lump down. “Casey, is there anything I can do for you?” he said as normal as he could while trying to force from his mind all the things he would love doing for and to her.
She seemed just as surprised to see him as he was to see her. “No. I was about to leave to go into town and wanted to know if Henrietta wanted me to pick up anything.”
It was then that he took in what she was wearing—a dress that that he bet would ruffle around her legs when she walked. It was light pink and the color made her look totally feminine, alluring and desirable. And she had light makeup on, and even added a dash of color to her lips. Lips he remembered kissing once and would love kissing again.
He cleared his throat for a second time before saying, “Henrietta isn’t here. She went into town to pick up the weekly supplies and groceries.” Then he checked his watch. “You’re through for the day all ready?”
He regretted asking the question before it left his mouth—especially when he could tell from her expression it got her dander up. “Yes,” she replied, rather stiffly. “I put in a couple of extra hours this week and asked Norris yesterday if I could finish up early today. I have an appointment in town.”
He frowned. “An appointment?”
“Yes. A real estate agent has a couple of places to show me.”
His frown deepened. “You’re moving? Our deal called for you to stay here in the guesthouse.”
“I know what our deal called for, McKinnon,” she said, locking gazes and tempers with him, “and I plan to honor it,” she snapped. “I’m looking for a place to stay once my job here is finished.”
“What about Corey’s place?”
“What about it?”
“I assumed that’s where you’d be staying since the reason you decided to move here was to get to know him better.”
“But that doesn’t mean I have to be underfoot. Besides, he and Abby need their privacy,” she said, like that should explain everything.
In a way it did. McKinnon knew exactly what she wasn’t saying. The couple was openly affectionate, but he was used to such behavior because his own parents were the same way.
“I can’t live there permanently,” Casey added. “I need my own place. If I were to get a job I can’t be coming back and forth off Corey’s Mountain everyday.”
McKinnon nodded. To get on or off the mountain you could only drive so far and then had to travel the rest of the way by horseback. At least that’s how things had been before Serena Preston had moved to town and started a helicopter business. In addition to doing private tours, she provided air transportation to and from those ranches higher up in the mountains twice a week. But using air transportation on a frequent basis could get rather expensive.
“What happened to your hand!” Casey’s words cut into his thoughts and he glanced down to notice it had started bleeding again through the bandage.
“I cut it on barbwire earlier.”
“Aren’t you going to the doctor?” she asked, her voice sounding somewhat panicky.
“Hadn’t planned on it,” he said, leaning in the doorway. “I’ve put something on it.”
“But it’s bleeding.”
“I noticed.”
She looked at him with total exasperation on her face. “Your need to see a doctor for your hand, McKinnon. If you want I can take you there since I’m going to town.”
He lifted a brow. “What about your appointment?”
“It’s not for a couple of hours. The reason I was leaving so early was to do some shopping, but I can do that anytime. Getting your hand taken care of is more important.”
McKinnon gazed at her for a moment, saw the concern etched on her face. This was the woman he had avoided for a week. The woman he went to bed dreaming about each night. The woman whose kiss still lingered in his mouth. The woman he wanted with a passion.
The woman he could not have.
But he wanted to spend time with her this afternoon. Find out how things had been going with her. He didn’t want to hear it secondhand from Henrietta or Norris. He wanted to hear her voice, smell her scent, invade her space…
“McKinnon, do you want me to drive you to the doctor’s office in town or not?”
Her words interrupted his thoughts and as he gazed into her eyes he made a decision. He would spend a couple of hours with her today but then tomorrow it was back to business at usual. He would put distance between them again. “You sure it won’t mess up your appointment time?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
He nodded. “Then hold on, let me grab my hat.”
* * *
Casey drove while McKinnon sat in the seat next to her not saying anything, just absently staring out the window at the endless miles of scenic meadows, pastures and mountains they passed.
He was frowning—as usual. She wondered how often he smiled. She’d seen him do so once when he had been standing in a group talking to her cousins. Spencer had shared some joke and all the men, including McKinnon, had laughed. But other than that one time, she was yet to see the corners of his lips crinkle up. She couldn’t help but wonder about both the sadness and anger she often saw in his gaze. She had asked Durango about it once but he’d shrugged saying he didn’t know what she was talking about.
And it was obvious McKinnon had avoided her this week. Even now she could tell that he was tense and angry about something, but she didn’t know how to go about breaking through his defenses. She was used to dealing with moody males, thanks to Clint and Cole. The moodiness she could deal with, but not the anger because she didn’t understand the reason for it.
A part of her knew it had something to do with the kiss they’d shared that night a week ago. Why had he gotten upset about it? They were both adults and he was the one who’d suggested doing it in the first place, saying a kiss was what they needed to sleep, and of course she’d gone along with it since kissing him was something she’d wanted to do for a long time. And he’d been right about the kiss. She had slept like a baby and had awakened the next day with a longing to see him, but he’d evidently regretted what they’d shared and had other ideas and began putting distance between them…until now.
“So, how are things going with Prince Charming?”
The sound of his voice jerked her back to the present. She glanced over at him. He wasn’t looking at her but his muscular body was reclined back against the seat staring straight ahead and the Stetson he wore low on his head shielded his eyes. Tight jeans were stretched across his thighs and the blue shirt accentuated a strong, sturdy chest. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail and his profile was just as sexy as the rest of him.
Unwanted images were forming in her mind—especially of how wild and untamed he’d look that night in the courtyard. She wished the kiss they’d shared could have gone on and on since she had enjoyed it so much. No man had ever kissed her that way before and…
“Casey?”
Abruptly she was snapped back to reality. He was looking at her with those dark eyes of his and suddenly she was filled with this urgent, compelling hunger to kiss him again.
“Yes?”
“I asked how things were going with Prince Charming.”
And naturally when you asked I was thinking about something that I shouldn’t be. “We’re in the getting-to-know-you-better stage,” she said, forcing the words from her mouth through thick abated breath. “I’m walking him a lot to get a feel of his balance and taking note of those things that might distract him, make him not alert as he should be. I’m trying to develop a good impression with him—one that will last. He’s still somewhat tense and I’m trying to rid him of that. Once that happens then the bonding can begin.”
“What about working on his speed?”
Casey could see from out the corner of her eye that McKinnon was still looking at her but she refused to look back when she responded. “He has speed, McKinnon, otherwise Jamal would not have purchased him to use in the races. Once I get rid of the tension and the bonding starts, then he’ll do some amazing things, including increasing his speed. You’ll see.”
McKinnon got quiet again for a while. He thought about the reason she was going into town, frowned and then said, “Have you considered moving in with Durango and Savannah instead of getting your own place somewhere?” For some reason he was bothered by the thought of her living in the city alone. “I bet they’d be glad to have you as a guest for a while.”
Casey’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “For goodness sakes. They’re still newlyweds. I would feel like I’m imposing on them.”
He nodded. “Yeah, I can see your point. Even with Savannah being pregnant, it seems every time I drop by they’re either getting out of the bed or getting into it.”
Lucky them, she wanted to say but changed her mind.
“You could stay with my folks,” he suggested.
Casey glanced over at him and met his gaze. Once again she felt the sizzle and tried to ignore the heat swirling around in her stomach and between her legs. She quickly placed her eyes back on the road, tightening her hands on the steering wheel and squeezing her thighs together. She didn’t fully understand these sensations that always swamped her when he looked at her a certain way.
She tried to get a grip and think about what he’d just said about her moving in with his parents. How she could tell him in a nice way that his folks were just as bad as her father and Abby? She hadn’t known that older couples could be so openly affectionate.
She cleared her throat and glanced back over at him. “I would feel like I’d be imposing on them, as well.”
McKinnon smiled. “Yeah. Like Corey and Abby, they do take being touchy and feely to a whole other level, don’t they.”
“And it doesn’t bother you?” she asked.
“No, my brothers and I are used to it. My parents love each other very much and have no problem openly displaying that love. I think it’s kind of special.”
She’d been led over the years to believe what her parents had shared had been special, too. Boy, was that wrong. Wanting to change the subject, she decided to ask him about what was still bothering her. “Why wouldn’t you entertain the thought of me working on your ranch that first day, McKinnon?”
He glanced over at her, grateful her eyes were still on the road and not on him. He didn’t want to look into her face when he lied. He couldn’t be completely honest when he told her the reason behind his decision not to hire her. That he’d figured his constantly being around her, having her live on his ranch was a temptation he couldn’t deal with.
So instead he said, “Like I told you, if anything happened to you I would have Corey to deal with, not to mention all those other damn Westmorelands.”
She shook her head smiling. “There are a bunch of them, aren’t there?”
He lifted a brow. “Bunch of them? Need I remind you that you are one of them.”
The smile on her face suddenly vanished. “Yes, and it took me all of twenty-eight years to find that out.”
McKinnon heard the bitterness in her voice. It was his understanding that she still had issues regarding the lies her mother told her about her father. For some reason, she couldn’t let go and move on.
“There might have been a reason your mother did what she did,” he said quietly, recalling the reason his mother had never told him that Martin wasn’t his biological father until she’d been left with no choice. “There are some things we aren’t meant to understand, and what happened between your mother and Corey is probably one of them.”
Casey sighed deeply. She wasn’t surprised that he knew the whole story—their fathers were best friends and had been for years. But then, given Corey Westmoreland’s popularity, she was certain that everyone in these parts had heard about his long-lost triplets.
“Don’t try and make excuses for what she did to me and my brothers, McKinnon. All those years we thought our father was dead but he wasn’t. Just think of all that wasted time when we could have known him.”
“But you’re getting to know him now. I hate to say that old cliché but better late than never, fits in this case.”
Casey frowned. “No, it doesn’t fit, and I prefer that we change the subject.” A few minutes later she said, “We’ll go see the doctor first to get you all fixed up.”
McKinnon shook his head. In addition to being feisty, she was stubborn. “Whatever.”
* * *
A couple of hours later, as they walked out of the doctor’s office, Casey glanced over at McKinnon. “Are you sure you don’t want me to take you back to the ranch now?”
He frowned. “I only got two stitches, Casey, not twenty, and I still don’t think I needed them. And that damn tetanus shot wasn’t necessary, but then Dr. Mason has always been heavy-handed when it comes to needles.”
After he opened the car door, slid onto the seat and buckled the seat belt, he glanced over at her. “Will you still have time to make your appointment?”
“Yes, the area isn’t far from here. The first place is an apartment that’s over an empty building.”
He turned and looked at her like she’d lost her mind. “Why would you want to live in a place like that?”
After snapping her own seat belt in place, she glared over at him, not liking his tone. “It’s not that I want to live in such a place, McKinnon, but when it comes to available housing, Bozeman isn’t overflowing with it.”
He sat back and stared out the window saying nothing. Why did he care where she decided to live? It was her business and not his.
She was right—it didn’t take long for her to get to where they were going. The real estate agent, an older, stout lady with a huge smile on her face, was waiting for them and once they were out of the car and introductions were made, she ushered them up the stairs to the apartment.
McKinnon glanced around, immediately not liking the place already. He knew the area. It wasn’t bad but then it wasn’t good, either. It was close to a business district with a bar on the corner. The place could get pretty rowdy, especially on certain nights of the week, not to mention on the weekends. She would never be able to get any rest.
When they reached the top of the stairs, the Realtor, who had introduced herself as Joanne Mills, moved aside to let them enter. “Nice place,” Casey said, placing her hands on her hips while she glanced around the huge room. “I can see potential.”
McKinnon couldn’t, and while Casey continued talking he tried concentrating on what she was saying and not on what she was doing. Having her hands on her hips had drawn his gaze to her small waistline, curvy hips and thighs. A waist he had touched the night they’d kissed, and thighs and hips that he’d molded against his own.
“McKinnon?”
He quirked an eyebrow at her. “What?”
“What do you think?”
“I don’t like it,” he said in a gruff voice. “There’s too much work to be done before it can be occupied.”
Casey frowned. “It wouldn’t hurt for you to be a little positive.”
“Just speaking the truth.” He turned to Ms. Mills. “You don’t have anything in a more settled residential area? I don’t like the fact that there’s a bar on the corner.”
Before the woman could answer, Casey said in an irritated voice, “You don’t have to live here, McKinnon. That bar won’t bother me.” She then turned to Joanne. “But the size of the kitchen does. It’s too small. I like cooking on occasion and there’s not enough cabinet space. What’s next on the list?”
McKinnon didn’t like the next couple of places, either, and Casey had to admit that neither did she. It was late afternoon when they’d seen the last apartment and Ms. Mills promised to call when other listings came up.
“You might do better just to buy a piece of land and build on it,” McKinnon said as they headed to the car.
“I might have to do that,” she said, but knew that building a place would take even longer. She glanced up at the man walking beside her, thinking that although he had gotten on her last nerve a few times today by being overly critical of the places they’d seen, she had enjoyed spending time with him. “How’s your hand holding up?”
He glanced over at her. “I told you my hand is fine. To prove that point, I’ll drive back to the ranch.”
Casey didn’t have a problem with that since she’d found concentrating on the road and not him rather difficult. She’d been too distracted by his mere presence, and now that he had removed the rubber band from his hair, the curly mane flowed freely down his back, making him look more savage than tame. And then there were his smoky, dark eyes that would lock with hers. More than once while sitting in the doctor’s reception room she’d glanced up from the magazine she’d been flipping through to find him watching her with an unreadable expression on his face. Each time their gazes connected her desire for him intensified that much more, and although she tried looking in another direction, it seemed her eyes kept inexplicably returning to his, only to find him still staring.
She handed him the keys. “If you want to drive, that’s fine with me.”
“Thanks.” McKinnon opened the car door for Casey and stood back to let her get inside, trying to ignore the way her dress raised a little when she sat, showing a nice amount of thigh. He was attracted to her something awful and spending time with her had only intensified that attraction. Sitting and watching her at the doctor’s office had been challenging. He was sure he had made her nervous but he hadn’t been able to help it. She was take-your-breath-away beautiful and while staring at her he wondered about a number of things. How she would look naked. What sounds she would make when she came. Visions of them wrapped up together in tangled sheets had immediately materialized in his mind.
He composed himself as he moved around the car to get in on the driver’s side. He was used to seeing what he wanted and going after it, but had to constantly remind himself that with Casey came limitations. Hell, forget limitations—with Casey Westmoreland there was a no-fly, total hands-off zone, which he’d already breeched with that kiss. But he was determined to try and adhere to it from now on, no matter what.
“Hey, McKinnon, wait up!”
McKinnon gritted his teeth as he turned around. Rick Summers, who’d always been a pain in McKinnon’s and Durango’s sides, was approaching at a rapid pace. Rick wasn’t someone they considered a friend. In fact, from the time he’d moved into the area a few years ago, he’d practically made it his business to try and compete against them where the ladies were concerned. He really thought a lot of himself, and when it came to the treatment of women he could be a total jerk.
“Rick, what can I do for you?” McKinnon asked, annoyed when the man reached the car.
Rick gave him a smooth smile. “I was on my way to visit a friend and thought I recognized you coming out of the house that’s for sale. Thinking about moving into town, McKinnon?”
“No.”
The man then peered through the open window to where Casey was sitting and all but licked his lips. “I also saw your lady friend. Aren’t you going to introduce us?”
McKinnon stopped short of saying “no” but knew he really had no choice. “Casey, I’d like you to meet Rick Summers, and Rick, this is Casey Westmoreland.”
A surprised look appeared on Rick’s face. “Westmoreland?”
“Yes. She’s Durango’s cousin and Corey Westmoreland’s daughter.”
A smile touched Rick’s lips and McKinnon knew the man was giving Casey what he thought was his most flirtatious smile. “Nice meeting you, Casey,” he said, opening the car door to shake her hand.
Casey returned the man’s smile. “Nice meeting you, too, Rick.”
“Are you just visiting a spell?” Rick asked curiously.
“No, I’m moving to Bozeman.”
McKinnon knew by the darkening of Rick’s eyes he had definitely latched on to that response. “To live with your father up on his mountain?”
Casey chuckled. “No, somewhere here in town.”
McKinnon watched as Rick’s smiled widened into a look McKinnon compared to a wolf on a hunt. “In that case, I hope we run into each other again…real soon.” He tipped his hat and walked off smiling.
McKinnon shook his head, and when he slid into the driver’s seat, he slammed the door shut as his protective instincts kicked in. If Rick Summers thought for one minute he would be adding Casey’s name to his little black book, he could think again. Although who she dated was none of his business, the thought of her getting mixed up with the likes of Summers didn’t sit well with him.
“He seems like a nice guy.”
McKinnon glanced over at Casey. “In this case looks are deceiving because Rick’s not a nice guy. He’s an ass and I suggest you stay away from him.” He could tell by her expression that she didn’t appreciate his suggestion.
And as he drove toward the highway that would take them back to the ranch, he decided that whether she liked it or not, he intended to keep Summers away from her.
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